Instant Access To 100,000+ Essays!

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman was born on February 8, 1820 in the town of Lancaster, Ohio. When Sherman was nine years old his father died. Sherman was then raised by Senator Thomas Ewing and wound up marrying into the family. Senator Ewing was able to use his influence to obtain an appointment to West Point for Sherman. Sherman finished fifth in his class and was appointed to the artillery division of the army. He did very well during his stay in the army, but resigned his commission in 1853 with a rank of captain. Sherman had trouble adjusting back to civilian life. After his army days Sherman moved between California and Kansas. He tried to start businesses in the banking and law fields only to fail at those. In 1859 Sherman became a superintendent of a military academy (LSU) but resigned this job with Louisiana’s secession of state. He then went to head a streetcar company in St. Louis before he determined that private life was not for him and volunteered for the Union Army. Sherman’s first command as a volunteer was leading a brigade of volunteers of the 1